Automatic stop for talking-machines.



L. G. LARSEN.

AUTOMATIC STOP FOR TALKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.24. 19|5.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Ill ill WITNESSES.- IN l/E N TOR L. G. LARSEN.

AUTOMATIC STOP F08 TALKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24. I985.

INVENTOR A OH/VEY Patented Oct.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I TNESSE 8:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS G. LAR SEN, OF BBIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN GRAIHO- PHONE COMPANY, OF BRIDGI EPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

AUTOMATIC STOP FOR TALKING-MACHINES.

Patented Oct. 29, 1918.

Application filed March 24, 1915. Serial No. 16,597.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS G. LARSEN, a subject of the King of Denmark, residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Automatic Stops for Talking-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to stop mechanism, and while capable of a wide variety of uses has particular utility when applied to a talking machine of any of the well known types in general use. It has for its object to provide a simple, thoroughly practical and relatively inexpensive automatlc stop mechanism that can be applied to machines already in use as well as to new machines and which requires no settingfor individual records, but will stop at a predetermined time after the end of any record, without regard to the length of the record.

With these and other objects in view I have devised the novel mechanism which I will now describe, referring to the accompanving drawings forming a portion of this specification and using reference characters to indicate the several parts, but it is to be expressly understood that the drawings are for purposes of illustration only and are not to be construed as definitions of the limits of the invention, since the same is capable of receiving a. variety of mechanical expressions.

I have illustrated the invention as applied to a Columbia machine. It should be understood, however, that it is equally applicable to any of the other machines now in use, without change other than 1n details of attachment.

Figure 1 is an elevation of a talking machine showing the application thereto of my novel invention, the bed plate being broken away;

Fig. 2 an inverted plan view of the bed plate, parts of the motor being indicated by dotted lines;

Fig. 3 a detail view illustrating a mode of attaching the operating arm to a machine in use;

Fig. 4 a diagrammatic representation of the operative parts of the invention, showing a position of the parts when the machine is in use;

Fig. 5 an enlarged detail view, showing the operative parts in the stopping position;

Fig. 6 a section on a greatly enlarged scale on the line 66 in Fig. 5, illustrating a mode of mounting the carrying arm and the contact arm;

F ig. 7 a detail sectional view of the electromagnet, and

Fig. 8 a detail plan view illustrating winding means for the clock train forming a portion of the invention.

10 denotes the bed plate of a talking machine, 11 the turn-table, 12 a record thereon, the turn-table and record constituting a rotating element, 13 the needle, 14 the reproducer and 15 the sound-conveying member or tone-arm constituting a traveling element and being shown as mounted to swing on a hub 16, said tone-arm being normally propelled across the record by the coaction of the needle with the record groove. The turn-table is carried by a Shaft 17 driven by a motor 18. A suitable device is provided for stopping the operation of the machine, the same device preferably also serving to start the machine. So far as the invention in its broader aspects is concerned, this start-and-stop device can be any of those suitable for the purpose, but I prefer, and have shown, a device having a controlling lever 19. A coil spring 20 upon its shaft acts to normally throw lever 19 to the stopping position, as indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 4. These parts or their equivalents are in use in all ordinary talking machines, and are not thought to require illustration or description in detail. It is sufficient, for the purposes of this specification, to state that in the machine illustrated, operation of the controlling lever stops and starts the motor.

In accordance with my invention, means are provided whereby the stop mechanism is actuated entirely independently of the rotating element when the traveling element departs from its normal speed of advance.

The principal elements of my novel stop mechanism, as shown are a member movable at a fixed redetermined speed and an associated mem er moving with the tonearm or traveling element, the said members cooperating to elfect the stopping of the machine upon a predetermined departure of. the speed of the traveling element from the normal fixed speed of the first said member, either because of a departure from the normal relative speed of traverse of the rotating element by the traveling element,

or because of a departure from the normal speed of rotation of the rotating element whereby the traveling element is propelled thereby at a speed other than normal. Preferably the stopping is effected when there is a relative diminution of the speed or a stopping of the traveling element from either of these causes, although the invention is not limited to a departure of this character. Preferably the control of the stop device by means of the said members is effected electrically, but the invention in its broader as ects is not so limited. In the referred embodiment of the invention as illustrated, there is an operating arm or member 21 which is carried by the tone arm. a carrying arm 22 which is engaged thereby, a contact arm or member 23, a battery 24, electrical connections 25, an electromagnet 26 and driving means for a spindle 28, by which contact arm 23 is carried. The spindle 28 is driven by a means the speed of which is controlled independently of the turn-table 11. Preferably, as illustrated, there is a clock train 27 for driving the spindle, but the invention is not limited to such a device. The operating arm is rigidly connected to the tone arm so as to swmg therewith. The special means of connection is of course wholly immaterial. In Fig. 3, I have shown an arrangement in which the operating arm extends upward through a slot in the bed plate and is secured as by a clamp 29 to the tone arm above the hub. This form of connection may be used upon machines already in use. In the other figures of the drawing (see Fig. 5) the operating arm is shown as provided with a ring 30 having recesses in its inner periphery, which are engaged by ribs, not shown, on the vertical portion of the tone arm, the connection in this form being below the bed plate and the hub being provided with a slot 31 below the bed plate (see Fig. 1) through which the ring is passed in assembling.

Contact arm 23 is mounted on a hub 32, itself rigidly secured to the sprindle 28. 33 denotes a friction washer carried by the hub which bears upon the contact arm and normally causes the contact arm'to move with the hub. Carrying arm 22 is shown as pivoted loosely on the hub (see Fig. 6) and as normally held against rotation with the hub by a spring 34 secured to the top plate 35 of the clock train and bearing upon the head of the carrying arm. 36 denotes an insulating post which projects from the carrying arm and carries a contact screw 37 to which an electrical connection is secured, thus placing it in the circuit. The carrying arm is provided with a slot 38 and the operating arm is provided with a pin or pro jection 39 which bears against a wall of the slot and causes the operating arm to swing the carrying arm. 40 denotes a pin or projection on the carrying arm which is adapted to engage the contact arm and carry that also. In practice, the contact arm is so driven that it tends to travel slower (certainly no faster) than the operating arm which is carried by the tone arm. The working position of the parts is shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

In use, the carrying arm is moved by the operating arm, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 4. until the needle reaches the end of the groove in the record. It must be remembered that the normal movement of the contact arm, which is imparted to it by the spindle, is slower than the movement of the carrying arm, which is imparted to it by the o crating arm. Consequently, during the p aying of a record, the contact arm will be carried forward by pin 40 (the head of the arm slipping on hub 32) but out of contact with the contact screw 37. When the end of the record is reached there is no further movement of the tone arm, the operating arm and the carrying arm. The contact arm, therefore, is now picked up. as it were, by the spindle of the clock train and carried forward into engagement with the contact screw, which closes the circuit.

Controlling lever 19 is normally retained in the position indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 4 by spring 20. The machine is started by moving the controlling lever from the dotted line position to the full line position, the effect of which is to carry the inner end of said lever past a projection 41 on the armature -12 of the elcctromagnet, this armature being normally thrown outward, that is when the magnet is dcnergizcd, by a spring 43. .The outward movement of the armature is limited by a stop 44. In swing ing the controlling lever to the starting position, the end thereof engages projection 41, which is rounded, and moves the armature inward slightly; then when the end of the lever has passed the projection the spring forces the armature outward and the projeclion locks the controlling lever in the starting position. This movement of the controlling lever also places said lever in engage ment with an insulated contact 45, to which is attached an electrical connection, thus placing it in the circuit. which comprises the battery, the electromagnet, the controlling lever, the bed plate or other framework or an electrical connection, the clock train, the contact arm and the contact. screw.

\Vhen the circuit is closed by the engagement of the contact arm with the contact screw (see Fig. 5). the electromagnct becomes energized, which draws the armature inward, releasing the controlling lever, which is then carried by spring 20 to the dotted line position in Figs. 2 and 4 and stops the motor. The circuit is broken when the controlling lever passes out of engagement with contact 45. Spring 43 then forces the armature to its normal position again, as in Fig. 7. The instant of release of the controlling lever, that is, the time allowed to elapse between the finishing of a record and the release of the controlling lever, is deter mined by adjustment of the contact screw in post 36.

The relative speeds at which the carrying arm is moved by the operatin arm and the contact arm is moved by the c ock train, are not of the essence of the invention. It is simply necessary that the speed of the contact arm be certainly no faster and preferabl a little slower than the speed of the carrying arm. An important result of my novel construction is that, in addition to the stopping of the machine at the end of a record, the machine is stopped at any time during the playing of a record if the motor slows down from any cause sufficiently to cause the speed of the carrying arm to drop below that of the contact arm. Whenever the tone arm causes the carrying arm to move slower than the contact arm is being moved by the clock train, the contact arm will be moved into engagement with the contact screw and will close the circuit and stop the machine, thus avoiding the unpleasant results of the motor slowing down appreciably below its normal speed during the playing of a record. It will also be apparent that a material decrease in the speed of traverse of the traveling element relatively to the rotating element, as well as the cessation of movement of the traveling element, will effect a stopping of the machine because of the contact arm being advanced relatively to the carrying arm into engagement with the contact screw.

The parts are all returned to the starting position again by simply swingin the tone arm outward. This movement 0 the tone arm causes the pin or projection upon the operating arm to first engage a finger 46 on the contact arm, drawing said arm out of engagement with the contact screw and breaking the circuit at that point also, and then to engage the opposite wall of slot 38 in the carrying arm and to move both of said arms to the starting position, which it is not thought necessary to illustrate on the drawin s.

Tt will of course be obvious that the contact arm would be carried backward without the finger, through the engagement of said arm with the contact screw. This is objectionable, however, as it would leave the circuit closed at that point. By the use of the finger, I insure that when the controlling lever is placed in engagement with contact 45, the electromagnet will remain deenergized, until the second break in the circuit is closed by the engagement of the contact arm with the contact screw at the end of a record.

In order to provide a convenient means for winding the clock train without removing the turn-table, I provide the Winding shaft 47 of the clock train with a ratchet 48 and a swinging arm 49 carrying a spring pawl 50 engages the ratchet. At the outer end of the swinging arm is a finger piece 51 which lies outside the turn-table (see Fig. 1). This enables the train to be wound by a few oscillations of the swinging arm 49, without disturbing any of the parts of the machine.

Having thus described my invention I claim 1. The combination with a rotating element and a traveling element, of a controlling lever for said rotating element, means for locking the controlling lever in the starting position, electrical connections including said lever-locking means, a carrying arm operated by the traveling element, a contact on the carrying arm, a contact arm, and means independent of the rotating and traveling elements for normally moving the contact arm at a speed no greater than that of the carrying arm, whereby whenthe movement of the traveling element ceases, the contact arm will engage the contact to close the circuit and operate said lever-locking means.

2. The combination with a rotating element and a traveling element, of a controlling lever for said rotating element, an operating arm moved by the traveling element, a carrying arm engaged by the operating arm,

a contact on the carrying arm, a contact arm means independent of the said rotating and traveling elements for normally moving the contact arm at a speed no greater than that 5 of the carrying arm, an electromagnet having an armature adapted to retain the controlling lever in the starting position, means for returning the controlling lever to the stopping position when released, and an electric circuit including said electro-magnet which is closed by engagement of the contact arm with said contact.

3. In a talking machine, the combination with a rotating element and a traveling element, of a spring-retracted controlling lever for the rotating element, a carrying arm provided with a contact, a contact arm operated independently of the said rotating and traveling elements, an electromagnet having an armature adapted to retain the controlling lever in the starting position, and an electric circuit which is closed by engagement of the contact arm with the contact to energize the magnet and release the 126 controlling lever.

4. In a talking machine, the combination with a rotating element and a traveling element, of a controlling lever for the rotating element, means for locking said lever in the starting position, an arm operated by the traveling element, electrical connections including said lever-locking means, and a contact arm operated independently of the said rotating and traveling elements and adapted to close the circuit and operate said leverlocking means by engagement with the first named arm.

5. In a talking machine, a rotating element and a traveling element, a movable arm, a contact arm, means controlled by the traveling element for moving the firstnamed arm, and means operated independently of the said rotating and traveling elements for moving the contact arm at a speed no greater than that of the first-named arm.

6. In a talking machine, atone arm,arecord support, an eicctrical circuit, a contact, means controlled by the tone arm for mov ing the contact, a contact arm adapted to engage the contact, and means operated independently of said record support and tonearm for moving said contact arm at a speed no greater than the normal speed of the contact, so that the circuit will remain open until the speed of the contact drops below that of the contact arm.

7. In a talking machine, a rotating element and a trayeling element, a spring'returned controlling lever, electrically controlled means for retaining said lever in the starting position, an electric circuit including said electrically controlled means, a contact, connections with the traveling element for moving said contact, and a contact arm operated independently of the said rotating and traveling elements and adapted to engage the contact to close the circuit and release the controlling lever when the speed of the contact drops below that of the contact arm.

8. In a talking machine, a rotating element and a traveling element, a spring returned controlling lever, an electromagnet having an armature adapted to retain said lever in the starting position, an electric circuit for the said magnet, a carrying arm provided with a contact, connections with the traveling element for moving the carrying arms, and a contact arm operated independently of the rotating and traveling elements and adapted to engage the contact to close the circuit and release the controlling lever.

9. In a talking machine, a rotating element and a traveling element, a spring returned controlling lever, an electromagnet having an armature adapted to retain said lever in the starting position, an electric circuit for said magnet, a carrying arm provided with a contact and a pin, connections with the traveling element for moving the carrying arm, a contact arm, and means independent of the rotating and traveling elements for moving the contact arm at a speed no faster than that of the carrying arm, said pin being adapted to move the contact arm until the speed of the carrying arm drops below the normal speed of the contact arm, when the latter will engage the contact to close the circuit and release the controlling leven.

10. In a talking machine, a rotating element and a traveling element, a spring returned controlling lever, an electromagnet having an armature adapted to retain said lever in the starting position, an electric circuit for the magnet, a carrying arm provided with a contact, a slot and a pin, an operating arm moved by the traveling element and engaging the slot in the carrying arm, a contact arm adapted to be engaged by the pin, and means independent of the rotating and traveling elements for moving the contact arm, said parts being returned to their initial position by the traveling element through the engagement of the operating arm with the slot in the carrying arm.

11. In a talking machine, a rotating element and a traveling element, a spring returned controlling lever, an electromagnet having an armature adapted to retain said lever in the starting'position, an electric circuit for the magnet, a carrying arm provided with a contact and a slot, an operating arm moved by the traveling element and engaging said slot, and a contact arm operated independently of the rotating and traveling elements and adapted to engage the contact, said contact arm being provided with a finger, the operating arm acting on its return movement to first engage the finger and move the contact arm out of engagement with the contact and then to return the carrying and contact arms to their initial position.

12. In a talking machine, a rotating element and a. traveling element, a spring returned controlling lever, an electromagnet having an armature adapted to retain said lever in the starting position, an electric circuit for themagnet, a carrying arm, a contact screw thereon, connections with the traveling element for moving the carrying arm, and a contact arm operated independently of the rotating and traveling elements and adapted to engage the contact screw to close the circuit and release the controlling lever, adjustment of the contact screw determining the instant of release of the controlling lever.

13. A stopping mechanism for talking machines having a tone arm, a record support and a controlling lever, comprising electrically controlled means for retaining the controlling lever in the starting position, a circuit for the electrically controlled means, a carrying arm having a contact, means controlled by the tone arm for moving the carrying arm, and acontact arm operated independently of the record support and tone-arm and adapted to enga e the contact to close the circuit and release t e controlling lever when the tone arm reaches the end of its movement in playing a record.

14. A stopping mechanism for talkin machines having a tone arm and a contro ling lever, comprising electrically controlled.

means for retaining the controlling lever in the starting position, a circuit for the electrical-1y controlled means, a carryin arm having a contact, means controlled y the tone arm for moving the carrying arm, a contact arm adapted to engage the contact to close the circuit and release the controlling lever, and a clock train for operating the contact arm at a speed no greater than that of the carrying arm.

15. The combination with a rotating ele ment and a traveling element, of means operated independently of the rotating element for automatically stopping said element upon the stopping of the traveling element.

16. The combination with a rotating element and a traveling element, of stop mechanism comprising a device operated independently of the said elements and movable at a predetermined speed and a stop device automatically actuated upon a predetermined variance of the speed of the traveling element from the speed of the first-named device.

17. The combination with a rotating element and a traveling element, of stop mechanism comprising a device operated independently of the said elements and movable at a predetermined speed and a stop device automatically actuated upon the failure of the traveling element to move at a speed as great as the speed of the first-named device.

18. The combination with a rotating element and a traveling element, of stop mechanism comprising two coacting moving members, one of which is driven by the traveling element, and means for drivin the other member at a speed determined independently of either member.

19. The combination with a rotating element and a traveling element, of stop mechanism comprising two coacting moving mem-.

bers, one of which is driven by the traveling v element, and means independent of either element for driving the other member.

20. The combination with a rotating element and a traveling element, of stop mechanism comprising two moving members, one of which is driven by the travelin element, means having its speed controlled independently of either element and tending to drive the other member at a speed no greater than that of the first-named member, and means intermediate sai members normally causing them to move synchronously.

21. The combination with a rotating element and a traveling element, of stop mechanism comprising two moving members, one

of which is driven by the traveling element, means actuated independently of either element and tending to drive the other member at a speed no greater than that of the firstnamed member, and means intermediate said members normally causing them to move synchronously.

22. The combination with a rotating element and a traveling element, of stop mechanism comprising two moving members, one of which is driven by the traveling element and the other of which is driven independently of either of the said elements, and a sto device provided with an electric contro ling circuit having two contacts carried respectively by the said members.

23. In a stop mechanism for a machine having a rotating element, a traveling element and a stop device, the combination of two coacting movable members, driving means for one member connected with the traveling element, means independent of either element for driving the other member, and an electric controlling means for the stop device having a circuit provided with two contacts carried respectively by the said members 24. In a talking machine, the combination with record rotating means and a tone-arm, of a stop device, and means under the control of the tone-arm and automatically operable upon the speed of the record decreasing below a predetermined limit to render said stop mechanism operative.

25. In a talking machine, the combination with record rotating means and a tone-arm, of a stop controlling lever,-lever-retaining means, and m eans under the control of the tone-arm and automatically operable upon the speed of the record decreasing below a predetermined limit to actuate the leverretaining means.

26. In a talking machine, the combination with record rotatlng means and a tone-arm, of a stop controlling lever, lever-retaining means comprising an electro-magnet, and electrical means under the control of the tone-arm and automatically operable upon the speed of the record decreasing below a predetermined limit for actuating said retaining means to release the stop-controlling lever.

27. In a talking machine, the combination with record rotating means and a tone-arm, of a device operated independently of the record rotating means, and stop means auto matically operated by said device upon the speed of the record decreasing below a predetermined limit.

28. In a talking machine, the combination with record rotating means and 'a tonearm, of a device operated independentl of the record rotating means, a stop device, and means under the control of the tone-arm and cooperating with said first-named device to cause the actuation of said stop device upon the speed of the record decreasing, below a predetermined limit.

29. In a talkin machine, the combination with record rotating means and a tone-arm, of an arm operated independently of the record rotating means, an arm moved by said tone-arm and cotiperating with said firstnamed arm, a stop device, and means con trolled by the aforesaid arms and causing the actuation of the stop device upon the speed of "the record decreasing below a predetermined limit.

30. In a talking machine, the combination with record rotating means and a tone-arm, of a contact arm operated independently of the record rotatin means, a contact arm moved by the tone-arm, and an electrically controlled stop device actuated by the engagement of said contact arms.

31. In a talking machine, the combination with a record rotating member and a soundconveying member, means moving with the sound-conveying member, means moving in dependently of said record rotating member, and an electrically controlled stop device actuated by the stoppin oi one of said means.

32. In a talking machine, the ombination with a record rotating member and a tonearm, means moving n ith the tone-arm, means moving independently of the record rotating member, and an electrically controlled stop device actuated by the stopping of said first-named means.

In a talking machine, the combination with a record rotating member; and a soundconveying member, means moving with the sound-conveying member, means moving independently of the record rotating member, a stop device, and electrically controlled means for causing the actuation of said stop device upon the speed of one of said members decreasing below a predetermined limit.

34. In a talking machine, the combination with a record rotating member and a tonearm, means moving with the tone-arm, means moving independently of the record rotatmg member, a stop device, and electrically controlled means for causing the actuation of said stop device a on the speed of said tonearm decreasin be ow a predetermined limit.

35. In a tal ing machine, the ombination with a record rotating member and a soundconveymg member, of means moving with said sound-conveying member, means moving independently of said record rotating member, a stop device, and electrically controlled means for causing the actuation of said stop deviceupon a predetermined variation in speed of one of said members. 86. In a. talking machine, the combination with a record rotating member and a tonearm, of means moving with said tone-arm, means moving independently of said record rotating member, a stop device, and electrically controlled means for causing the actuation of said stop device upon a predetermined variation in speed of saidtone-arm.

37. In a talking machine, the combination with record rotating means and a tone-arm, of a stop device, and automatic means for effecting the actuation of said stop device upon the speed of the record decreasing below a predetermined limit.

38. The combination with a rotating element and a traveling element, of a stop device, and means operated independently of the rotating element for automatically stopping said rotating element upon a predetermined decreasein speed of said rotating element.

39. The combination with a rotating element and a traveling element, of a stop device, and means operated independently of the rotating element for automatically stopping said rotating element upon a predetermined decrease in speed of the traveling element.

40. In combination with a rotating element and a traveling element, a stop device, means for retaining said stop device in inoperative position, a member driven by the traveling element, a member driven independently of both said elements, and means'operated by the relative movement of said members for releasing said stop device.

In testimony W ereof I afiix my signature.

LOUIS otansnn. 

